The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program

The International Fellowships Program was launched with a grant from the Ford Foundation in 2001. The program offers fellowships for post-graduate study to leaders from underserved communities in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Russia. Fellowship recipients are exceptional individuals with demonstrated social commitment and academic achievement.Typically, they are men and women who have overcome obstacles such as poverty and discrimination to gain access to higher education, and they aspire to work for social justice in their home communities upon completion of their studies. applicants must be resident nationals or residents of an eligible IFP country or territory. All applications must be submitted to the appropriate IFP International Partner in the country or region where the applicant resides. IFP International Partners determine application deadlines and selection schedules in their region or country.

Who Can Apply

Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program applicants must be resident nationals or residents of an eligible IFP country or territory. Currently, these are: Chile, China, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam. In 2009, final selections were held in Brazil, Russia, the Philippines and Palestine. All other sites will hold their final selections in 2010.

IFP selects Fellows on the strength of their clearly-stated intention to serve their communities and countries of origin, and expects that they will honor this obligation.

Successful candidates will:

• Demonstrate superior achievement in their undergraduate studies and hold a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent.
• Have substantial experience in community service or development-related activities.
• Possess leadership potential evidenced by their employment and academic experience.
• Propose to pursue a post-baccalaureate degree that will directly enhance their leadership capacity in a practical, policy, academic, or artistic discipline or field corresponding to one or more of the Foundation’s areas of endeavor.
• Present a plan specifying how they will apply their studies to social problems or issues in their own countries. Commit themselves to working on these issues following the fellowship period.

IFP Fields of Study

Ford Foundation International Fellows may choose to study in any academic discipline or field of study related to the Ford Foundation’s three grant-making areas, which are:

* Asset Building and Community Development

• Community Development
• Development Finance and Economic Security
• Work-force Development
• Environment and Development

* Knowledge, Creativity, and Freedom

• Arts and Culture
• Education and Scholarship
• Media
• Religion, Society and Culture
• Sexuality and Reproductive Health

* Peace and Social Justice

• Civil Society
• Governance
• Human Rights

The Application Process

All applications must be submitted to the appropriate IFP International Partner in the country or region where the applicant resides. IFP International Partners determine application deadlines and selection schedules in their region or country. Applications are reviewed and final selections decided by panels composed of practitioners and scholars from various fields of work and study. The level and duration of awards are determined as part of the selection process. Ford Foundation staff and their family members may not serve on selection panels and are not eligible to apply for IFP awards. Members of selection committees, staff of the organizations managing the program in the various regions, and their family members are also ineligible for IFP awards.

For further details please open the webpage below:
http://www.fordifp.net/AboutIFP/HistoryandMission/tabid/62/tabid/64/Default.aspx